Title: The Story of Ferdinand
Author/Illustrator: Munro Leaf
Publication Year: 1936
Age Group: Preschool, Kindergarten, Early Elementary
Amazon Product Page (Affiliate Link)
Recommended By:
- 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
- 100 Best Books for Children
- Valerie and Walter’s Best Books for Children
- The New York Times Parent’s Guide to the Best Books for Children
Comments: My 4.5 year old son loves this story about a gentle bull who is accidentally chosen for a bull fight, but refuses to fight. I’m going to have to buy it, because the library wants it back and he’s wanted it read practically every night for the past month. There is about an 8 minute long Disney cartoon called “Fedinand the Bull” based on this book that I remembered from my childhood and is available on YouTube. I was reluctant to show it to my son, because I thought he might then prefer to watch the cartoon instead of read the book, but I let him watch it a few nights ago and it hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm at all. He now wants to watch the cartoon periodically throughout the day and still asks to have the book read at bedtime.
I should also point out that my 2.5 year old daughter also loves this book. The story is relatively simple and the words flow very nicely. She doesn’t understand the whole plot, I’m sure, but she likes listening to it. The very first time I read it however, she became obsessed with the bumble bee which plays only a fleeting role in the story. She spent every page after asking, “Where’s the bee?”
Included on Lists:
Michelle has a PhD in Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor's Degree from the California Institute of Technology. 
Leave a Reply